Some of you may have seen me around town over the past few weeks and you may have noticed I have a little bit of a new look. Due to the upcoming Theatre Guild Valdosta production of "Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," in which I am playing the role of Mark Twain, among other roles, I have decided to grow a mustache. My ultimate goal is to put together about an hour to an hour and a half worth of material and make a one-man show, based on Twain's writings (similar to Hal Holbrook's "Mark Twain Tonight"). That has been a dream of mine for many years, and I hope to be able to perform it in several locations and venues around the area. So the mustache may stay for a while.
I'll confess, the overwhelming response has been positive. The folks around the paper here have compared the look to anywhere from Tom Selleck to that cartoon news anchorman on "Family Guy." My young nephew had one of the funniest compliments when he said, "Uncle Rickey, I really like the 'Dad-stache.'" I had never heard that term before. I guess I am a little out of date with the 'lingo' that kids are using these days.
Although I do appreciate the compliments, a small part of me wonders just how sincere they are. If I were to grow my eyebrows out to an outrageous length, would people say, "I really like what you're doing with your eyes?" What if it were hair in my ears? In that case, I don't know that it would matter much what people would say, since I probably would not be able to hear them in the first place.
So, if you see me around town and you feel the desire to compliment my "new look," feel free to give the compliment. I will simply say a sincere and heartfelt "thank you." After all, as Mark Twain once said, "We all enjoy compliments; politicians, burglars, newspaper humorists, all of us in the trade."